Our Team

Sarah Allison

Based in Salem, Virginia, Sarah Allison (she/her/hers) has worked in the nonprofit sector since 2012. She has dedicated her career to building organizational capacity through trauma-informed care, cross-cultural communication, and program management. As a seasoned administrator, she is passionate about refining internal systems to empower leaders to execute their missions with efficiency and joy.

Raised in Baltimore, Maryland, Sarah’s love for the outdoors started early as she spent time near the Chesapeake Bay and camping with her family. After relocating to Georgia and completing her B.A. in Spanish Language and Culture from Valdosta State University, she developed a love for backpacking and hiking while building her administrative and communication skills as an English for Speakers of Other Languages teacher.

Following the completion of her M.A. in International Human Rights from the University of Denver in 2015, Sarah worked abroad as a consultant in the international aid sector for organizations including the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and Rise Against Hunger. In recognition of the Eurocentric biases of the international aid world, Sarah refocused her career domestically and uses her power to promote, hire, and hold space to ensure that people of color are heard in all settings. She has served as the Evaluation Director for TEAM Wellness & Prevention, Data and Partnerships Manager for United Way of Larimer County, and Program Manager for CASA of Larimer County. Outside of the office, Sarah can be found cycling through the Blue Ridge Mountains, hiking with her dog, Mister Dog, and volunteering as a local Tree Steward.

Mariah Moore

Mariah (she/her) brings a wealth of experience supporting executive leaders in philanthropy. Her role focuses on providing comprehensive support to our C-Suite executives and ensuring the smooth operations of schedule coordination and correspondence. She has a deep commitment to advancing racial equity and values the power of community to bring about systemic change.

The impactful work being done to amplify the voices of Black, Indigenous, and Communities of Color in the environmental movement is what drew Mariah to Justice Outside. Nature has been a powerful healing space and a catalyst for her own growth and healing. She believes in the mission of the organization to ensure equitable access to resources, opportunities, and decision making in the outdoor space.

Mariah is a birth doula and advocate for infant and maternal health. She is passionate about reproductive justice and changing the astronomical disparities in Black maternal health by means of advocating, educating, and community engagement. Mariah also facilitates yoga and mindfulness programming for youth impacted by the justice system. She is dedicated to making sure that our youth have the resources and support that they need to heal and thrive.

In addition to her love for community and philanthropy, Mariah enjoys spending time with family, Ethiopian food, working out, ceramics, and farmer’s markets.

Amanda King

Amanda (she/her) has worked in nonprofit organizations since 2005, while in college at California State University, Fresno. From her start at Break the Barriers, to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and now with Justice Outside, she has dedicated her skills to work with organizations that improve the lives of the people in her community.

Born in Central California, Amanda has enjoyed access to Yosemite, Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Parks, along with other recreation areas for decades. These days, her favorite activities include hiking through familiar places, discovering new trails, fly fishing small streams in the Sierra and spending time with her pets. She believes everyone deserves the enjoyment of the outdoors and is proud to be part of an organization that is actively working towards ensuring that everyone has the opportunity to seek it.

Jacqueline Delgadillo

Jacqueline Delgadillo (she/her) was born in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico, and raised in Southern California. After completing her Bachelor of Arts in Spanish Cultural Studies from the University of California, Riverside, she worked at the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) as a paralegal specializing in immigrants’ rights and LGBTQI+, gender and reproductive justice issues. As the Communications & Advocacy Coordinator at Justice Outside, she’s happy to merge her love of storytelling and human rights advocacy.

She has enjoyed writing since she was a child and some of her work can be found in Teen Vogue, Refinery29, HelloGiggles, and more. In her free time, she loves working on her newsletter, In My Room, where she shares her thoughts on identity, style, and mental health.

Jacqueline believes in the power of rest in a country that demands constant productivity. She appreciates naps, walks outside, dancing, and hanging out with her favorite pups, Bambi and Leila.

Bren Spector

As a passionate storyteller, natural connector, and dedicated advocate, Bren brings over a decade of experience in public relations, marketing, and communications to her role at Justice Outside. With a deep love for the outdoors and a commitment to making nature accessible to all, she finds great joy in crafting compelling narratives that inspire others to connect with the natural world.

Originally from Mexico City, Bren immigrated to Colorado in her early teens, where she developed a deep appreciation for the state’s awe-inspiring landscapes. Her expertise spans various industries, including nonprofit, government, and healthcare, providing her with a unique perspective in her role as a communicator and bridge-builder. Bren takes pride in her ability to delve into complex issues and craft messages that resonate with diverse audiences.

With a BA in mass communication and public relations from Adams State University, Bren is well-equipped to navigate the ever-evolving landscape of marketing and communications. When she’s not dedicating her time and energy to advancing Justice Outside’s mission, Bren can be found exploring Colorado’s stunning trails with her family, discovering hidden gems in the local food and beverage scene, or tending to her many, many, many house plants.

Ethan Metzger

As a Program Coordinator, Ethan (he/him) is excited to work with Justice Outside to bring the Outdoor Educators Institute to Seattle.

Born and raised in the Pacific Northwest, Ethan discovered his passion for the outdoors while attending Western Washington University. Day hiking in the Chuckanuts and a job at a summer camp helped form his relationship with the outdoors and he went on to major in Outdoor Recreation.

Ethan has spent the last several years as a youth backpacking guide, ski instructor, environmental educator, and managing gear libraries. What he loves about working in this field is making nature a relatable space and reframing that outdoor experiences can happen anywhere! Having experienced barriers to access and lack of representation in outdoor spaces, he is dedicated to making the outdoors an equitable and safe space.

In his free time, Ethan is an avid skier, climber, ramen enjoyer, and a pickleball enthusiast. He also enjoys playing card and board games, watching movies, and playing with his cat.

Laura Hernandez

Laura Hernandez (they/them) was thrilled to be given the opportunity to come back to help run the 2020 Outdoor Educators Institute (OEI), a program that provided so much for them back in 2018. Since then, Laura has graduated college with honors with a B.S. in Recreation, Parks, and Tourism from San Francisco State University, created and led an Air Quality Monitoring summer program for Literacy for Environmental Justice and GreenAction, and are so excited to help improve and grow the OEI program in the years to come.

They are a loud and proud Queer Latine environmental educator, adventurer, master napper, activist, comic enthusiast, Green Witch, and life-long learner. They love supporting other young folks to live in their vision and help them achieve their goals. They are also a huge advocate for constant self improvement and growth, both of which are the center of their work.

Dr. Mary Traylor

Dr. Mary Traylor (they/she) has a passion for and experience in camp and retreat programming and educational leadership. They have worked in the field of education and camp programs, in various capacities and at various levels, for over 15 years. Mary has substantial experience with coaching, instructional design, and program development. Mary’s own identities as a Queer Black-Biracial person, along with their gifted ability to look at situations from a variety of perspectives, have influenced their work with creating dynamic educational experiences and programming that disrupts racist, ableist, patriarchal, and cis-heteronormative practices, while centering the wellbeing and needs of historically marginalized identities. Mary’s professional work is heavily influenced by the works of Audre Lorde, bell hooks, and Assata Shakur.

Before joining Justice Outside, Mary was Director of Student and Family Support at New Heights Charter School, a charter school in South Central Los Angeles, and Program Director at Pilgrim Pines Camp and Conference Center. Mary has obtained a Doctorate in Educational Leadership from the University of Southern California, and is an avid life-long learner. When Mary is not working they love a good nap, a good walk, and binge watching fun tv shows.

Dylan Kiyo Kennedy

As Program Associate, Dylan (they/them) provides Justice Outside’s suite of programs and alumnx activities with logistical support, in-field programmatic support, recruitment and outreach efforts, and collaboration on programs.

Dylan is a mixed queer environmental educator, artist, and adventurer who strongly believes “you can be more than one thing!” They center anti-colonial praxis as the path towards a socio-environmentally just future, and consider outdoor engagement and education to be direct movement building to that end. Their work has included facilitating community and mentorship for college students of color in the environmental field, empowering youth-leading-youth in Scouting, and engaging in genuine self-work. They prioritize compassion, creativity, humility, and humor in all that they do.

Over the past few years, they’ve sailed in the Southern Pacific, broke their nose playing rugby, disowned the gender binary, graduated from UC Berkeley with a B.S. in Society & Environment and a minor in Global Poverty & Practice, and once wrote a stirring folk ballad in memory of a hedgehog they found.

They have deep love for slow hiking, solo time, fire ecology, queer nature, roadtrips, and running water. They aspire to a life lived by the season, and facilitating high adventure leadership development for queer and neurodivergent youth and adults.

Jessica Rivas

Jess Rivas (she/ella) is the Rising Leaders Fellowship Manager at Justice Outside. She is from the land originally and still inhabited and cared for by the Tongva, Tataviam, Serrano, Kizh, and Chumash Peoples aka North Hollywood, California. She is a first generation graduate and received her B.A. in Cognitive Science with a minor in Socio-Cultural Anthropology.

Jess has worked alongside the brilliant minds at the University of California, Merced as the Yosemite Leadership Program coordinator and lead Yosemite Wilderness Ranger. Since the start of her career, she’s worked towards ensuring environmental programs and experiences were centered around equity and accessibility and that programming was relevant to communities. She’s worked with over 50 environmental organizations consulting and coaching their equity and inclusion journeys.

The outdoors can be healing and although everyone deserves access, she works to understand the systemic barriers that keep people from enjoying these spaces. The highlight is working with the industry baddies who come through the Justice Outside programs. These leaders inspire, recharge and motivate her to continue the journey of disrupting cycles of poverty and inequality with humility.

Outside of her profession, she enjoys going to hip hop shows, pop-ups, magazine stands and museums with friends, learning about the esoteric wonders of the world, daydreaming, falling in love and styling clothes she finds at flea markets and thrift stores. Ask her about her vinyl collection.

Jake Garcia

Jake (they/them) is the Rising Leaders Fellowship Assistant at Justice Outside and grew up on Tongva land in Southern California. During their time at California State University, Long Beach, they received a Bachelor of Arts in Africana Studies as a first generation graduate while actively studying the work of Dr. Martin Luther King Junior, Assata Shakur, bell hooks, & Dr. Robin Wall Kimmerer.

After college, Jake explored their passion for working with youth in multiple different roles including being a Soccer Coach, Camp Director, Environmental Educator, and Playworker. While each role worked with youth in a unique way, their goal was always to center the kids’ experience, advocate for their needs, and contribute to their joy!

Outside of work, Jake enjoys listening to music, land tending, observing urban nature in Los Angeles, and contributing to community science platforms like INaturalist. Ask them about how one of their observations shut down a botanical garden!

Tyler Gonzales

Tyler Gonzales (he/him) is the Program Manager for the Outdoor Educators Institute at Justice Outside. In this role, he supports OEI programs dedicated to empowering Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) to build skills, capacity, and community within the outdoor education field.

Tyler is a trained wildlife biologist and a first-generation college graduate, holding a B.S. in Natural Resources Management. He is deeply curious about the impacts of climate change on wildlife and has over 12 years of experience as an outdoor educator. His career has taken him to some of the most beautiful places across Texas, California, Tennessee, and Washington. Throughout his career, Tyler has focused on environmental justice and racial equity in outdoor education, leading programs that prioritize shifting resources to BIPOC communities.

Tyler’s journey in education began with a summer program at a school district, where his role was to keep students engaged in joyful STEM learning in a neighborhood with a high dropout rate by 5th grade. Since then, he has worked with various school districts and non-profits, leading innovative and culturally relevant outdoor education programs.

In his free time, Tyler enjoys cooking and eating, birding, visiting local parks, picnicking, playing board games, and spending quality time with friends and family.

Eliza Jane Palao

Based in Yokuts Land, Central California, Eliza Jane Palao (They, she, he | Siya) has worked in the nonprofit sector since 2019. Eliza Jane has dedicated their career to philanthropy, creating safe spaces, and building community. A change maker and social justice warrior in their community, they hope to continue being a positive change in society.

Eliza Jane has an immense love and respect for native land since an early age growing up around the world with their family. In 2020, they obtained their B.A. in Sociology with a minor in Philanthropic and Community-Based Leadership. During this time, they developed a love for the Central Valley mountains and wanted to make environmental change after seeing the outcome from California’s intense fires. They joined the 2019-2020 CCAC (California Climate Action Corps) as a fellow, planting over 300 trees and doing fire restoration by collaborating with national and local environmental organizations.

Following their time with CCAC, they went on to obtain their M.A. in Negotiation, Conflict Resolution, and Peace-building from California State University, Dominguez Hills in 2023. During their graduate school they participated in the Spring 2023 OEI program. Soon afterwards the opportunity came to be a part of the OEI Team as a Coordinator for the Central Valley.

Outside of the office, Eliza Jane can be found  spending time with their enormous family and wonderful friends. You’ll find them rock climbing, enjoying boba, hiking, binge watching shows and movies, and cuddling with their dog Bambi and cat Kairo.